Ch.8

Elena awoke the next morning with the memory of Damon's lips on hers. Her mind wouldn't stop jumping to their shared moment in the rose garden. She opened her eyes and stared up into the ceiling, perplexed and bewildered. She couldn't explain to herself why she had enjoyed Damon's kiss. A part of her felt that it had been almost forced, as if he hadn't wanted to. Until the rest of her screamed that she didn't care, and that she'd spend the rest of her life finding out why he unraveled her this way just so she could feel that way again. It was a dizzying spiral she had set up, and the only thing she could think of to break the cycle was to go and see Stefan.

After all he had been her one soul reason for even being in the rose garden in the first place. She had wanted him all her life, and he had finally shown interest. Now she was kissing his brother? She couldn't bare it.

Throwing off her covers Elena stood and went to her closet grabbing an outfit from Paris. She needed to feel beautiful today, especially if she was going to be seeing Stefan. Pulling out a silk camisole and some tight jeans she set off to the mansion to have a discussion with Stefan.

As she strode across the grounds she couldn't help but rehearse what she would say. 'It didn't mean anything to me…" but it had.

'I pushed him away immediately…' but she hadn't.

In fact the more and more she puzzled over how to break this news to Stefan, the more she realized she couldn't tell him at all. Not because she was a coward, but because for the first time she didn't know how she felt. The thought alone was maddening and yet when she reached Stefan's room, she was relieved to see a familiar face, set with blue eyes watching her from a distance. She had walked up the winding staircase only to be confronted with the one person she least and most wanted to see.

Damon stood next to the door, a careful smile played across his lips as she approached him. She remembered this look; it was the same as when he would try to sneak a cookie from the cookie jar when they were kids.

"Elena, good morning." He said walking towards her to greet her. Gently he leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. A casual greeting to the naked eye, but she noticed that he lingered, inhaling her scent and her eyes met his soon after. Elena tried to fight the immediate heat she felt, but found that it was impossible. She wanted him, and the thought terrified her.

"Hello Damon, I'm here to see Stefan is he awake?" she said stepping back from Damon and reaching for the door.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." Damon replied.

"What do you mean?" Elena inquired, looking questioningly at Damon while wondering what he could possibly say to make her regret this decision.

"Stefan's not…how do I put this? Coherent at the moment. The doctor has him on some pretty heavy medication. He's not exactly himself." He stated, placing his hand over hers on the knob and pushing it away.

"I just need to see that he's alright."

"That won't be necessary, Caroline is in there taking very good care of him." He said, putting and emphasis on his fiancé's name, and grinning from ear to ear.

"They've sent you to deal with me haven't they?" she asked folding her arms and staring him down.

"Who's 'they'?"

"Like a lawyer in a movie. He goes to the unsuitable waitress or chauffer's daughter and says they'll pay her $100,000 to stay away from their son. No she says, $150,000."

"A million." Damon stated looking into her eyes with certainty.

"No." she said moving back towards the stairs to leave.

"No self respecting lawyer would offer less." Damon stated.

"No self respecting waitress…would take it." She stated looking boldly into his eyes.

"Good, that's what I hoped you would say." He said.

Elena having enough of Damon's theatrics turned around to head back down the steps when she paused by the rail and said, "I've loved him all my life."

"Have you?" Damon said behind her, his voice sounded harsh as though she had stabbed him.

Elena turned to look into his eyes. They were filled with pain, and she felt obligated to add, "I thought I was over it."

"Surprise, surprise. It's always going to be Stefan." Damon stated bending to look down and ruffle his hair. It was amazing how much like a boy he looked in that moment.

"That doesn't bother you?" Elena asked intrigued by his answer.

"Bother me? Why should it? Just because I kissed you last night?" he said looking into her eyes with as much heat as she'd begun to felt welling within her at his proximity.

"That when I held you in my arms it felt as if I had reached the epitome of a fulfilled life? Oh no Elena, I wouldn't say that it bothers me. It tortures me."

He said stepping towards her and grasping her arms with his hands.

"Let me make you forget him Elena. Let me show you what you could have. He doesn't know who you are, but I do. Let me prove it to you." Damon asked in earnest. Elena could barely think. His fingers were now creating circles over her arms and lifting to cradle her head in his hands. Before she knew what was happening her eyes were resting on his lips, begging for him to kiss her once more. She practically moaned for it.

"Ok." She said, and it was all he'd needed as he bent down and kissed her passionately. Elena felt his lips form to hers, felt his hard body pressed against her own, and for the first time couldn't care less about Stefan Salvatore.

Damon practically devoured Elena as he sunk into her kiss. Her soft lips moved under his and he couldn't seem to get enough of her. It was as if she was his oxygen. He refused to waste a moment of it.

He couldn't believe that just two hours earlier he had been arguing with his parents about her. In particular how to get rid of her. Giuseppe had seen Elena as and instant threat to the Salvatore fortune, and called Damon in early this morning to for an impromptu meeting. Laura had been dragged in as well, allowing for a majority of the Salvatore legacy to be in the same room at the same time, which was in and of itself a rarity. Damon had laughed off his father's concerns, believing that he might have in fact changed Elena's mind about whom she wanted to be with.

"I don't care who she wants, as long as it doesn't interfere with this merger. Damon, our entire company is riding on this power play. Stefan has to marry Caroline, or the deals off. Bill has already threatened the merger from the stunt he pulled last night."

"What do you want me to do about it father?" Damon asked feeling agitated. He never liked his father's tactics, and this one he liked least of all. Using his own son as a pond in his own game was revolting.

"We need you to be a distraction." His mother said, leaning over his fathers desk and snipping off the end of his cigar.

"A distraction to who? Elena?" Damon asked, not quite sure what they were getting at.

"Exactly. If she's out of the picture then Stefan won't need to have doubts anymore. I'm counting on you to take care of it. Offer her riches, take her to the lake house, fill her mind with sweet nothings, pay her off, or whatever it is you have to do. Simply keep her away from Stefan."

Damon had of course agreed, but not because it had been his fathers wishes. No, he had agreed because for the first time, his mother had given him the green light to do the one thing he had always wanted to. That was to woo Elena Gilbert, and he would do it proudly.

At the moment he seemed to be doing a fairly good job of it, as her hands wound themselves in his hair and her body trembled against his.

Unfortunately their kiss was interrupted by a clumsy fall from one of the maids. It was Bonnie, heading up the stairs for another round of Stefan's painkillers. She hadn't been expecting to see a show like the one Damon and Elena were giving her. Damon smirked and stepped away from Elena regretfully, while Bonnie seemed to shoot Elena look of pure horror.

"Excuse me sir, I didn't realize I would be interrupting anything." She said reaching for the pill bottles on the floor in front of them.

"No harm done Bonnie, we were just leaving." Damon announced grabbing Elena's hand and dragging her downstairs. Elena followed him willingly and he couldn't stop the joy from seizing his heart at the warm feel of her hand in his.

Stopping at the foot of the stairs, Damon turned once more to a breathless Elena.

"That was embarrassing." She said turning red and looking at the floor.

"Oh, she'll get over it, and besides we have more things to worry about today than Bonnie catching us kissing." He declared, slipping his hand under her chin and moving it upward, to give her another swift soft peck.

"What would that be Mr. Salvatore?"

"I am going to kidnap you for the weekend Ms. Gilbert." He stated pulling her close.

"Oh, is that right? And where pray will you be taking me?" she added, playing along with what she appeared to think was a ruse.

"The lake house. Mother said it was in desperate need of some TLC, and I think we are just what the doctor ordered. What do you say Elena?"

He paused as he took in her comical quizzical look. He knew she might not go for it, but Laura had said to distract her, and distract her is exactly what he was going to do.

"Sounds wonderful, when do we leave?" she said with a smile.

"How long will it take you to get packed?" he asked,

"About an hour." she replied, her eyes filled with lust.

"Perfect." he said, leaning in once more to seal her lips with a tender kiss.

***AUTHORS NOTE****
Well there you have it, the long awaited update. Hope it didn't disappoint ;) A lake house DELENA scene is coming and I can't wait to write it! Hope you are enjoying the read!

Review please!